Mumbai: Railways to use tech to tide over monsoon

The Central Railway’s innovation has ensured functioning of the point machines even during flooding; (right) The point machine device switches the direction of the railway tracks

While the Central Railway has devised innovative point machine covers that function well under water keeping train operations moving, the Western Railway has procured remote-controlled cameras to monitor drains to keep its trains running during the monsoon. Point machines are devices to switch the direction of the tracks on command from the station master's office or the control room.

The Central Railway has devised an innovative solution to prevent point machine failures during flooding by modifying covers developed internally by Central Railway's dedicated team. This solution has already been implemented at 231 identified flood-prone locations across the Central Railway network, ensuring widespread protection and reliability. The reduction in point machine failures during flooding significantly improves operational efficiency.

"This enhancement ensures that train operations remain smooth and uninterrupted, eliminating the need for manual clamping of points and paper authority, which are traditionally required during such failures. The modifications to the point machine covers ensure their effective functioning even in severe weather conditions, thus providing a more reliable and robust railway infrastructure," a CR spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Western Railway is upbeat about the deployment of remote controlled cameras to monitor the drains during monsoon.

"The benefits of integrating cameras for sewage system inspections are to quickly collect data from a safe distance, regardless of obstructions, access issues, or confined space entry procedures. One can locate the exact position of defects found during an inspection. The cameras give us a bird's eye view of the cleaning, which is not possible with manual surveillance," a WR spokesperson said.